Sunday, September 8, 2013

Illinois Public Death Records

By Ben Kingsley


Death notices, like any other vital records, are useful in so many ways. Such document lets you know the reason of death of a decedent. Knowing the cause of death is a very great help in determining and tracing familial diseases in the family tree. Death records are also useful in genealogy research as it can provide a significant number of information about the person who passed away. Additionally, records of deaths are also beneficial to Statistics especially in determining mortality rates. The fundamental repository for Illinois death notices is the Office of the Vital Statistics, Department of Public Health.

Unlike any other states in the US, death records are not public records in the State of Illinois. Thus, such records are restricted only to those who are related to the deceased. If you are not at all related to the decedent, you will have to provide a letter from the office that requires the death record. For genealogical research purposes, an uncertified copy of a death record is given provided that the death occurred at least 20 years prior to the date of request.

Certified and uncertified copies of death records can be obtained from the Division of Vital Records. Additionally, such copies of death notices can also be acquired through the Office of the County Clerk in the county where the death took place. For deaths recorded prior to 1916, these can only be obtained from the county clerk's office.

The fee for a certified copy of the death certificate is $19, while the uncertified, genealogical copy costs $10. Extra copies of the same record for a certified copy are $4 each if requested at the same time. If no record is found as part of a certified search, a no record statement will be issued. Such fees are non-refundable even if a record is found or not. Payment can be made by check or money order payable to the Illinois Department of Public Health or with a credit card. Payment should not be in cash. A $10 is charged for the handling for credit card transactions and an additional $19.50 fee if you opt that the death record be delivered to your doorstep.

In appealing for a copy of a death record, the significant information you need to provide are the decedent's full name, date and county of the death, the parents' name, your relationship to the deceased, and the reason for your request. If you are a legal representative, a written and notarized document naming you as the authorized individual should be submitted. If your purpose is to claim legal, personal or property interest, a printed document proving that you have a personal or property interest at stake, such as a will naming you, should be provided.

Acquiring copies of death records in the State of Illinois can be done online, by mail, by fax, or in person. The average processing time for death records requests takes days to weeks depending on the method of acquisition exploited and the volume of requests received in the office of Vital Records. If you want to get a copy of a death record in an expedited and practical way, then do it online. Simply search the web for online service providers, perform a little background check on the record provider you're eying on to ensure accuracy and less errors, and hire their services. There are a lot of online record providers which proffer the same service but for only a minimal fee. What's more, these providers can also give you the records you need in just a matter of minutes.




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